


Like Riding a Bike

by citrinesunset



Category: White Collar
Genre: Emotional Intimacy, F/M, First Time, Mentions of Canonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-12 03:40:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5651221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrinesunset/pseuds/citrinesunset
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal and Sara are having sex for the first time, and Neal's hesitation surprises her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Riding a Bike

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sapphire2309](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphire2309/gifts).



> Written for Fandom Stocking, for sapphire2309.

Only Neal Caffrey could get a decent studio apartment in New York for seven-hundred a month. Sara wanted to hate that, but she couldn't help but be a little impressed.

The doors to the terrace were open, letting in a cool breeze and the faint sounds of traffic. Sara looked at the books on the shelves while Neal poured some wine.

"Neal?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you lock the door?"

"Don't worry—Mozzie's out of town."

All the same, after handing Sara her glass of wine, Neal went to the door and checked the lock.

It was Sara's second time visiting Neal's apartment. Fourth, if she counted her visits related to Neal's theft of her mail. She didn't particularly want to think about that right now.

Was it too soon to think about staying the night? They hadn't exactly had a proper date yet.

With their privacy assured, Neal set his own wine glass on the coffee table and, coming up behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned her head and kissed him.

Neal rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her.

"I like your necklace."

Smiling, she replied, "I hope you're not thinking of stealing it." She touched her fingers to the small emerald charm that lay just below her collarbone.

"And ruin its beauty?"

Sara laughed. "Does that line usually work for you?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Neal Caffrey was everything she never should have fallen for, but something about him seemed unpredictably genuine. She wasn't stupid. She knew that even in moments like this, he was putting up a front. But she'd gotten little peeks at the Neal Caffrey under the shell, and she liked him.

She tried to turn so that she was facing him, but her wine sloshed dangerously.

"Neal, could you—"

She held the glass up for him to take, and he leaned down to set it on the coffee table. It was a pity—she'd barely had a chance to taste it. But if all she wanted was wine, she could go to a bar.

Neal kissed her again. He still smelled faintly of aftershave, but his cheeks were covered in light stubble that scratched at her skin. Sara squeezed her arms between their chests and started to undo his tie.

They made their way to the bed in an awkward sort of waltz, neither of them letting go over the other. When the back's Sara's legs hit the bed, she stumbled and sat down, pulling Neal on top of her.

She managed to get comfortable on her back, and unbuttoned her blouse. Neal leaned over to kiss her, but she put a hand on his chest.

"Wait—I have a condom in my purse. Let me grab it."

Neal smiled. "Prepared. I liked that."

Sara wiggled out from under him and went for her purse. She had to dig around for a minute to find what she was looking for, and by the time she'd extracted the small foil packet, Neal was down to his shirt and boxers. He sat upright against the pillows.

Sara climbed back onto the bed and straddled his legs. Still holding the condom, she put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him.

But something had changed. There was an almost imperceptible tenseness in Neal's shoulders, and when she reached for the waist of his boxers, his sharp intake of breath did not seem unambiguously pleased.

"Everything all right?" she murmured into his ear.

"Yeah, of course."

If there was one thing Sara was good at it, it was knowing when she wasn't getting the whole truth.

Still, he'd answered her question, and he didn't seem inclined for her to stop. She kissed his mouth, and then worked her way down his neck to the top of his chest. But when she reached into his boxers, he wasn't hard.

"Neal?"

"Just give me a sec."

She pulled back to look in his eyes. "You don't seem into this anymore."

He flashed his patented grin, which was the least likely way to convince her. "I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

She climbed off his legs and curled up beside him. "Do you want to do a raincheck?"

"No, it's not that."

"But if you're tired...."

His jaw twitched. He looked like he was going to say something, but stopped.

Sara started to think about going. She was surprised, and admittedly disappointed. But these things happened. She hoped it wasn't her.

But as she started to move, Neal spoke up.

"I think I have performance anxiety."

Sara smiled. She wanted to laugh, but she didn't want him to think she was laughing at him. "I didn't think you were capable of that."

It was good to know that Neal Caffrey was a mere mortal like everyone else.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Neal said, "but it's been a while. I haven't had sex since before I went to prison."

Sara did the math in her head. That had to be five or six years. "Oh. I'm surprised. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just...I pictured you as one-night-stand sort of guy."

"Used to be." Neal nodded toward his ankle. "The anklet sort of puts a damper on that." He took a deep breath. "When I first got out, I wanted to wait until I was with Kate again. I thought I owed it to her."

And now Kate was dead. That was certainly enough to kill the mood.

"I understand if you need time," she said softly. She didn't know what else to say. She didn't want to condescend to him. She could tell this was the most honest he'd ever been with her, and she didn't want to ruin that.

"It's not that I don’t want to. But I don’t know if I'm going to be what you're expecting."

Sara laughed and kissed his shoulder. "I'm not that hard to please. I'm not going to lose interest if you don't turn out to be some sort of sex god." She wrapped her arms around him. "We can take things slow. Let's just...have fun. If you want. I mean, I can go...."

"No, I want you to stay." With a smile, he added, "I hear it's like riding a bike."

He seemed more relaxed, now, and perhaps relieved.

They made out on the bed for a while, Neal holding her close and running his hands over her body while they kissed.

He broke away and reached for the condom packet, which was still lying on the bed.

"Do you want me to put it on?" Sara asked.

He smiled and handed her the condom. He was harder this time, but Sara still took her time, stroking him in her palm until his cock had grown and hardened. The head glistened with pre-come. Neal's chest rose and fell quickly.

With her other hand, she stroked herself and worked her fingers back and forth over her clit until she was wet and ready.

She tore open the foil packet and rolled the condom down Neal's cock. Neal kissed her and guided her onto her back.

His skills weren't nearly as rough as he'd led her to expect, but of course Neal Caffrey would hold himself to a high sexual standard. But she could feel the slight hesitation in his movements.

Neal held himself up with one hand on the bed, and worked the other one between Sara's legs, where he stroked her clit with his thumb.

He came a little quickly, like a man who had gotten out of the habit of practicing staying power. But after he pulled out, he continued to stroke her clit and thrust his fingers inside of her. This, apparently, was something Neal needed no practice at. If there was one positive thing Sara could say about his forging, it was that it seemed to have made him very good with his hands.

She arched her hips as she came, pressing herself against his hand. Then, she collapsed on the bed, and Neal collapsed beside her. 

Rolling over on his side, he said, "Thanks for sticking around."

With a sleepy smile, she said, "My pleasure."


End file.
